NOTES: Watts-Jackson hasn’t spoken to reporters since the play – he went to the hospital right away and had surgery Sunday.
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“I just feel it’s insane that 10 seconds could take you, like, from just being on the team, people acknowledging that you guys won the game, to people tweeting you, and text messaging you, Facebook saying you’re a legend, you’re a hero”.
This will be a video that Michigan State fans replay over and over, and if you’re not a Michigan fan, I am concerned that you are self-harming by clicking on articles about this play. “Bro, you about to get a statue made of you. I don’t mind at all”. “So I think our players will be ready to play”.
Jalen Watts-Jackson says he felt “pure pain” after reaching the end zone last weekend when he injured his hip while scoring the winning touchdown for Michigan State on a desperate fumble return against Michigan. The Hoosiers (4-3, 0-3) are in last place in the Big Ten’s East Division, but they played Ohio State tough earlier this month, and their fast-paced offense could be risky if Michigan State isn’t sharp. It was insane though. “I didn’t know who was behind me”. Who were you trying to keep? He still tried to get the ball off and had it blocked by Michigan State defenders. We were going to have to be able to do that.
“He was in good spirits”, Dantonio said.
He was quick to emphasize the first three quarters against the Scarlet Knights, which comprise the best football IU has played all season in spite of the fourth quarter sacrilege that ultimately determined the game’s outcome. Watts-Jackson’s job was to occupy the Wolverine guard long enough so backup linebacker T.J. “He just never ceases to amaze me with the things that he does”. “I’m like, ‘Wow, like, that really happened'”.
Porritt said his sharpest memory of Watts-Jackson rising to the occasion came in a playoff basketball game when the 5-foot-11 senior got his hand to the top of square on the backboard before he slammed a momentum-changing dunk. I prefer to use a walker because I like to stand and still be a little active.
Watts-Jackson fractured his hip on impact and laid on the ground writhing in agony while his teammates all came to congratulate him. That’s exactly what he saw in Watts-Jackson, as he recalled the same apparent athleticism that Porritt spoke of.
What the future holds for Watts-Jackson remains to be seen. She was actually a pretty cool lady.
“The first joke was, man, there’s got to be something in the water”, he said. My hip is messed up.
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O’Neill’s arm was struck by Miller, creating the effect of a pinball flipper, his flailing arm knocking the ball 18 feet in midair, where Watts-Jackson grabbed it and sprinted for the end zone. We try not to dwell on it too much. “And they just kept playing it back and kept playing it back”.
